Chapter 24

After Ben had chosen the location and distance between each street light he allowed the system to begin constructing them all at the same time.

Everyone will be able to walk the streets after sunset without worry of tripping over unseen obstructions. The little amount of light cast through the windows of the houses and buildings with interiors wasn't enough to allow people to walk the streets at night. In a world without light pollution if the moon wasn't overhead you were literally left in the dark!

Ben closed the roads section of his build menu and opened the Education section. Here there was a building called [Basic Education for All] he would need to build. The Basic Education for All building is a small school which is used by the people to learn how to read and write.

Ben was not concerned about having his people learn how to read and write at this time. [The Basic Education for All] was needed to be built at this time so he could unlock the other buildings he wished to build around the fortress.

[Basic Education for all]: Teaches teenagers and adults how to read and write.

[locked until: built house] [requires: stone-wood]

This small school allowed the people to establish a link with the system so they could learn how to read and write. They would need to visit this basic school multiple times before they learned all the offered lessons.

'They will be busy working on the road excavation outside the gatehouse for a while. There is no reason to assign them to work and attend school at the same time. Once they finish the road work I will have Rayner get them to attend the Basic Education for All. I am sure once this fortress grows I will need some help around here and all these slaves know is how to perform manual labor. I will have to build more advanced schools to educate them properly but they will need to learn how to read and write before I need to worry about building other schools.'

Ben left the fortress to walk down into the valley farming area. Here he built a [Farm] to grow wheat and next to this wheat farm, he built a [Spirit Farm] which he used to scan each of the spirit plants, herbs, and the Indigo Iron Fruit he had found in the forest.

[Farm]: Can grow: all vegetables, wheat, rice fields, oats, barley, hops, spices, licorice plant, peppermint plant, peanuts, and fish ponds. [Can also grow: Victus grains and vegetables]

[Spirit Farm]: Any herb or spirit plant scanned by the herb farm will become available to grow in the herb menu. It can only grow scanned spirit herbs, plants, fruits.

Ben used the Spirit Farms scan option to scan all the spirit plants, herbs, and Indigo Iron fruit into its database. Once a spirit plant, herb, or fruit were scanned into the database it would then be possible to grow them.

He did not waste any time and began growing the newly found plants and herbs along with a few Indigo Iron Fruit trees.

Just south of the new Spirit Farm which was alongside the road, he found a place to build two [Berry farms]. One of these Farms would grow strawberries and the other farm grew blueberries. He had plans to build a bakery today and these berries would allow him to make a wider selection of pastries.

[Berry Farm]: Can grow: blackberry, blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, boysenberry, cranberry, elderberry, loganberry. [Can also grow: native Victus berries]

Now that the area along the road was becoming lined with so many various farms, plantations, and ranches, Ben decided to build a stone paved road grid on the east side of the plantation area.

Along the new grid of crisscrossing roads, he constructed a Pig Ranch and a Chicken Ranch. Not only would the pigs and chicken provide an extra source of meat, but the eggs, feathers, pigskins, and pig fat could be used to make other products.

[Ranch]: Can raise: Sheep, Cattle, Pig, Goat, Chicken, Rabbit, Turkey, Deer, Alpaca and Victus native animals. [Possible to produce animal hides, meat, milk, animal fat, eggs, feathers, antlers, horns, sheep wool, alpaca wool, hair]

Next up on his list was to build three Tropical Orchards which would grow fruit.

A Banana Orchard, Pineapple Orchard, and Lemon Orchard would provide him with additional fruits that could be used in the bakery. Ben could also can the fruits at the Cannery and sell them fresh.

[Tropical Orchard]: Can grow: banana, golden apple, honeydew, lemon, papaya, kiwis, pineapple, coconut, mango, mangosteen, star fruit, guava, and dragon fruit.

As the three tropical fruit orchards were being constructed, Ben moved onto the final thing he would need to build in the farming area for now.

What he wanted to build next was a Mulberry Bush Plantation which was used to breed silkworms. Ben chose a place to build it across the street just south of the Hemp Plantation.

Soon the silkworms would begin to make cocoons that would be used by the Silk Weaver to make silk fabrics. Once he had silk fabrics it would allow Ben to produce a wider variety of fashionable clothing.

[Plantation]: Can grow: coffee, tobacco, cotton, hemp, mulberry/silkworm, and sugar cane. [Locked until: two built farms]

Before heading back up into the fortress, Ben walked north to where he had built his Mine and Stone Quarry.

South of his Mine, he built a [Gemstone Mine] that would produce diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and topaz.

[Gemstone Mine]: Produces crystals, diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and topaz. Higher upgrade level produces valuable gems more often. [locked until: built mine] [requires: stone-wood] [Cost: 500g]

'It's a shame these gems do not hold the same value as they do on Earth. If they did I could just build about twenty of these gem mines and become rich by just selling gems.'

'This world is still primitive so many practical items hold more value than luxury items, unfortunately. I guess that is fine though I just need to adjust my way of thinking.'

'Even if the people of this world find gems and jewelry to be beautiful you still can't eat them or use them to defend yourself from a bandit or profound beast. The majority of this world's people want items that will make their lives easier or help to keep them safe and healthy.'

Ben walked back inside the fortress as he thought about the differences between a primitive and advanced society.

Even if jewelry did not hold the high monetary values here as it does on Earth it wasn't impossible to sell. Royalty, Nobles, and some commoners enjoyed wearing jewelry and accessories. Ben often has seen people wear jewelry but it reminded him more of crafts jewelry than the beautiful precious metals and gem designs from Earth.

Most people wore simple bead necklaces or thin chain necklaces made of silver or gold. Ben thought that once he introduced luxuriously crafted jewelry with cut gems at affordable prices it would become another great addition to his growing merchandise.

To begin crafting jewelry Ben would need to build a [Jeweler] workshop. He found an empty lot next to the Gym and began constructing one right away.

[Jeweler]: Produces jewelry. Also provides a custom design menu that allows you to make your own designs. Jewelry quality increases with upgrade level. [Locked until: built mine - gemstone mine][consumes: gold, silver, Mythril, platinum, gems] [requires: stone, wood]

Using the Jeweler interface he picked out rings, necklaces, tiaras, brooches, necklace charms, bracelets, and earrings from the menu of Earth products. The jeweler would use the available gems, gold, and silver to create them and then place them in the Warehouse upon completion.

Now that Ben had a silkworm plantation he had unlocked the [Silk Weaver]. South of the Tailor workshop is the place he chose to build a new Silk Weaver. He was excited that soon there would be silk fabrics that would allow him to make classier clothing.

[Silk Weaver]: Produces silk fabric. Also provides a custom design menu that allows you to design your own silk fabrics. [Locked until: built Plantation: Mulberry/silkworm] [consumes: silkworm cocoon, dyes] [requires: stone, wood]

Moving on from silk fabric production it was time to put the berries and fruits to use.

South of the Cannery and Silk Weaver, Ben had the system start construction on a [Mill] and [Bakery].

[Mill]: Used to grind grains, oats, and nuts. [Locked until: built wheat field]

[Bakery]: Bakes bread, pastries, cakes, pies, cookies, and donuts. An interface menu allows for custom creations.[Locked until: built mill] [consumes: flours-sugar-fruits-berries-nuts-cocoa-jelly-peanut butter-honey-eggs]

The Mill would begin grinding the wheat into flour for the Bakery. With flour being produced Ben had the Bakery to begin making a selection of Earth recipes. Loaves of bread, fruit pies, donuts, cookies, cakes, and pastries with fruits and berries would soon be available.

Some of the items made in the Bakery that caught his eye required honey to be produced so he decided to head back down to the farm area once again. Right beside the Chicken Ranch, he built a [Beekeeper] that would produce honey, beeswax, and honeycombs.

[Beekeeper]: Produces honey, beeswax, and honeycomb. [locked until: built weaver]

Before he left the area he had another idea that could help make him money and it was wine. Next to the Silkworm Plantation, Ben constructed a [Vineyard] that would grow Merlot grapes. He could use these grapes to make wine, jelly, and a few other products later on.

[Vineyard]: can grow many varieties of grapes. [Locked until: the 2nd farm is built]

'Alright, now that I have a Vineyard the Wine Distillery is now unlocked. Let me see now, where should I build the distillery?'

Alongside the Bakery seemed like a decent enough location, it was not in direct view of the main streets, so he began construction of the [Wine Distillery] there.

[Wine Distillery]: Can produce many wines depending on the grape provided.

[Locked until: built vineyard] [consumes: grapes-rice-milk-berries-fruits]

[requires: stone-wood] [cost: 200g]

[Auto_Notice] [The system has advanced a level! System Level 10!]

[Auto_Notice] [System Level 10 Build Zone Extension Bonus!]

[Auto_Notice] [Your Build Zone has increased! You are now awarded 20 square miles per level increase!]

'The build zone just jumped from one square mile up to twenty square miles? This must be the awarded bonus for reaching level ten. This is a nice a surprise now the land I can control will spread out faster. I will have more room for farms, defences, or outposts.'

Ben closed the new notices and scanned through the Health section because he was concerned about his people.

What if they were injured while he was gone for long periods of time? Now that he had unlocked a building called [Small Clinic] he could provide them with a way to treat any injuries when he wasn't around.

The market area near their homes seemed like a decent place to build. It was right outside their front doors allowing them quick access to this new Small Clinic. It wasn't as impressive as the Hospital option which was still locked, but it would have to do for now.

[Small Clinic]: The clinic can cast a minor healing spell on any injured person who enters the clinic. [Locked until: built five structures] [requires: stone-wood] [costs: 200g]

'System, The Small Clinic description says the injured person needs to enter the clinic. What will happen if they are unconscious and brought into the clinic by someone?'

*Ding!* [The small clinic has been designed to scan any living being who enters for injuries. As long as they are still alive the clinic will begin treatment.]

'I don't need to worry then. I was afraid that it might not recognize someone who was unconscious. If anything happens the others can just carry the injured person into the clinic so they can be healed then.'

Ben refocused on what needed his attention next and opened the Warehouse to look through the incoming resources. He noticed the cowhides from the Cattle Ranch had been piling up in the Warehouse so he decided it was time to build a [Tannery].

The leather produced by the Tannery could be used for armor, clothing, furniture, and even weapons so it was a good choice to make one. But before he could build a [Tannery], Ben had to build a [Lye Lab] to unlock it.

[Lye Lab]: Produces Lye from hardwood ashes and water. [Locked until a 2nd lumber mill is built.] [consumes: wood - water] [requires: stone, wood]

[Tannery]: Produces leather from skins and hides.

[consumes: lye - animal hides/skins - animal fat] [Locked until: built livestock ranch - lye lab] [requires: stone, wood]

'Now that I am growing spirit plants I will need a Pharmacist to put them to use.'

Ben did not have any pills to scan or any pill recipes to use at the Pharmacist but he had plans to buy pills in Goldcrest to scan and copy. If he found or bought enough spirit plants to scan and grow he would one day be able to produce pills that could help him and his people grow stronger.

[Pharmacist]: Can reproduce any pill added to the ingredient decoder chamber. The pharmacist will break down any pill to learn how it is created if you provide the proper ingredients the Pharmacist can make any pill which was decoded.

[locked until: built spirit farm] [consumes: spirit plants-profound fruits-profound beast cores-herbs]

[requires:stone, wood] [Cost: 1000g]

Ben now had a decent selection of new foods and spices coming into the Warehouse, so he thought it would be a good time to build a [Restaurant]. He figured it would be a nice change of pace for him and his people to go to a Restaurant and use the interface menu to have hot meals instantly made for them from an extensive menu selection.

[Restaurant]: People can sit down and order any meals that the host has added to the interface menu. The meal will appear on the person's table instantly upon ordering.

[Locked until: built fish pond farm-cattle ranch-vegetable farm-spice farm-bakery]

The fortress was really coming along now with all of the new additions. There was a large selection of foods and items being made and entertainment locations to keep everyone from becoming bored on their free time.

The one thing that needed some attention was the fortress defenses. Right now he had an interlocking stone block wall that encircled the entire top of the plateau, but it was only three layers thick.

This meant the wall was only three feet thick which was much too narrow to walk on or to station archers up there to defend against attacks.

Instead of continuing to build the rest of the wall in stone blocks, he was ready to get serious about it. When it came to defenses you always had to plan for the unexpected. The walls were a crucial part of the fortress defense and needed to stand up to any type of attack that this world could throw at it. With this in mind, Ben decided to build a [Concrete Factory].

[Concrete Factory]: Produces concrete used for roads, defenses, and structures.

[Locked until: built water treatment-sand quarry] [consumes: sand - water - stone]

When the Concrete Factory was built it unlocked a few upper-tier defenses. He Could now use [Concrete Steel Rebar Walls], [Concrete Steel Rebar Towers], and

[Concrete Steel Rebar Gatehouses].

Ben was familiar with this concept and had seen it used on many job sites when he worked construction. They would lay out long grids of steel rebar and place forms around them and pour concrete into the forms. The concrete would dry around the steel rebar which provided much more strength to the concrete.

While the concrete was being produced, Ben went on to build a few more structures. He walked further south and continued to build additional stone paved roads which were a distance away from the other structures. He was thinking this area would be an ideal out-of-the-way spot to make his military structures later.

Since the military would be stationed in this area of the fortress he built the [Armory] here. The armory worked in much the same way as the Market. It would allow permitted military officers to have access to all the stored weapons and armor. These chosen officers could add or remove weapons and armor to be distributed among the troops when needed.

[Armory]: A stone block structure that stores weapons and armor in a pocket dimension. [requires: wood-stone-iron]

WIth an armory it was now time to begin production of weapons and armor so, he built a [Weaponsmith], [Bowyer], and [Armorer] workshops.

[Weaponsmith]: Produces melee weapons. It also comes with a custom design menu that allows you to design your own products.[Locked until: built mine-tool maker]

[consumes: wood, iron, precious metals, steel, Mythril, leather, nylon, plastic, beast cores, gems] [requires: stone, wood]

[Bowyer]: Produces bows of many styles. It also comes with a custom design menu that allows you to design your own Bows. Higher upgrade level allows more advanced bows. [Locked until: built carpenter] [consumes: hemp, silk, wood, iron, steel, precious metals, nylon, plastic, rubber, glass]

[requires: stone, wood]

[Armorer]: Produces cloth, leather, iron, chain-mail, steel, and mithril armor. It also comes with a custom design menu that allows you to design your own armors.

[Locked until: built weaver] [consumes: cloth, leather, iron, steel, precious metals, plastic, nylon, rubber] [requires: stone, wood]

[Auto_Notice] [The system has advanced a level! System Level 11!]

Ben looked at his balance and saw he was almost out of money.

It would cost too much to upgrade these three new workshops. Ben wanted the weapons and armor he produced to surpass what could be found in Goldcrest.

The cheapest way to improve the quality of the produced weapons and armor was to build Guilds for now. They only cost 100g each and would help to boost whatever workshop they were associated with.

[Armorers Guild]: [Increase armor production rate, quality, and armor bonuses.]

[Bowyers Guild]: [Increases production rate, quality, and bonuses of all bows.]

[Weaponsmith Guild]: [Increases production rate, quality, and bonuses of all melee weapons.]

With 484 gold coins left, Ben decided he had built enough for now. He needed a little extra money for any emergencies that might spring up. He also had thoughts of saving money to buy a store in Goldcrest City.

He was now making so many items and foods that he had already outgrown the small stall that he rented last time and would need to continue to rent more stalls or open a store.

Over at the just constructed Restaurant, Ben had the system filter out all the dishes that could be made with the food and spices the fortress was currently producing. He used that list to then make a menu for everyone who visited.

The Restaurant was now open and ready for visitors it was time to show the people a couple of the new buildings that they could access. Outside the Gatehouse, Ben had everyone stop working for the day and he led them into the fortress.

Their first stop was at the Small Clinic. Inside there were ten metal frame hospital beds lined up along each wall. This was so if someone was seriously injured they could lay down here until they fully recovered. Ben explained that the Small Clinic would cast a minor healing spell on anyone who was injured.

The Small Clinic would a Mana gathering formation to cast the minor healing spell so the patient would need to lay down and wait until the spell had been cast enough times for them to recover. Depending on the injury some would spend more time than others here.

Next, he showed them the Basic Education For All. Ben told them that once they had finished work on the road he would arrange for each of them to attend this school.

The slaves were excited to hear they would learn how to read and write. There were many people in this world who dreamed of this opportunity which Ben made available for them. They had been slaves most of their lives but they were able to live better than most of the commoners and nobles ever since Ben had brought them here.

The last place on their stop was the Restaurant. They were all beginning to get used to using the interface menus around the fortress so they were able to easily pull up the Restaurant menu. Ben sat down with everyone and they all ordered a meal and ate dinner together.

By the time they finished eating and chatting the sun was already beginning to sink on the horizon. Everyone took off in different directions and Ben went over to the keep. Upstairs on the third floor, he laid down on his bed, closed his eyes, and started to cultivate for a few hours.

He was hoping that enough concrete would be produced overnight so that he could begin working on the walls sometime tomorrow.